The sight drew everyone's attention.
Within the golden light, Sengoku's iron fist was wrapped in Conqueror's Haki. Looking at it, even Borsalino could no longer maintain his usual unserious attitude. His expression turned solemn.
Borsalino knew exactly what this move meant.
It meant that Admiral Sengoku had already acknowledged Yemu's strength to the point that he could not deal with him without using Conqueror's Haki coating.
"Admiral Sengoku really seems intent on killing him."
Logically speaking, against Conqueror's Haki coating, which represented one of the strongest powers in the world, Yemu should have had no chance to fight back. But thinking back to Yemu's first voyage, when he killed a Celestial Dragon and made his name on the sea, every action Yemu had taken had gone beyond the expectations of the Marines and the World Government, forcing them into a passive position again and again.
Just like this time.
After causing such a major incident on Baterilla Island, the Sky Pirates should have been hiding somewhere. Instead, they had boldly invaded Impel Down.
That was something the Marines and the World Government never could have imagined.
So, faced with such a killing move from Admiral Sengoku, would this boy do something else no one could predict?
Borsalino was not the only one curious about that question. Shiki was curious too.
The result of this battle was also extremely important to Shiki.
Although he did not believe this boy named Yemu could defeat Sengoku, his own condition was no longer what it had once been.
Everyone's thoughts passed in only an instant. The moment Sengoku used the power of Conqueror's Haki coating, he moved. His massive Buddha body raised a heavy iron fist high and punched toward Yemu.
"Buddha's Wrath!"
Boom.
In an instant, a shockwave wrapped in black lightning surged forward with unstoppable force.
It tore a massive hole through the black shockwave and golden shockwave between Yemu and Sengoku.
Like a supersonic missile, it shot straight toward Yemu's face.
Looking at the incoming strike, Yemu did not dodge.
Because he understood that dodging would not bring victory. So…
"Demon Bind: Nine Dragon Inferno Garment: Nine Dragons Possession!"
It was the same technique, but this time, it revealed a different power.
At this moment, the Haki around Yemu was not only his own. There was also the power of the mysterious voice he had been chasing all this time, unlocked by Dr. Furumi through interference wavelengths.
The power from Rocks's heart.
Thump, thump, thump.
At that moment, Yemu's heart, or rather, Rocks's heart, began beating rapidly and chaotically.
What it brought was a powerful strength surging from the depths of his being.
Boom.
Yemu's and Rocks's Armament Haki coating collided with Sengoku's Conqueror's Haki coating.
At that moment, all of Impel Down shook violently once again. The Sea Kings that had been drawn nearby scattered in panic, fleeing in every direction. Above Impel Down, dark clouds suddenly gathered, and fierce winds began to howl.
Within Impel Down's Level 5, Freezing Hell, two black shockwaves collided, standing in stark contrast to the surrounding white world of ice and snow.
Black lightning spread outward from the center of the collision.
Cracks began to appear across the walls, visible to the naked eye.
But at that moment, no one had the mind to pay attention to that. All eyes were fixed on the center of the battlefield.
"He actually blocked it…"
Borsalino stared in disbelief at Yemu, who had blocked Sengoku's Conqueror's Haki coating with Armament Haki alone, his face full of shock. Borsalino had seen how powerful Conqueror's Haki coating was. It was a force that could split the heavens and the earth, yet it had been stopped like this.
Seeing Borsalino's shock, Shiki praised it while explaining, "Hey, Marine brat, don't underestimate the power of Armament Haki. Conqueror's Haki is certainly powerful, but when Armament Haki is trained to a certain level, it can rival Conqueror's Haki. Your Marines' Zephyr and that bastard Garp are perfect examples. And that's not even mentioning that the power this boy is showing now belongs to that man named Rocks. Shihahaha! That was the power that once defeated your Marines' Zephyr and Sengoku, and even left Garp with no way to deal with him. If not for that bastard Roger…"
At this point, Shiki's face filled with anger.
They had once been only one step away from changing the world. But that bastard Roger…
"Is that so? Thank you for explaining it for us, Shiki the Golden Lion."
"Shihahaha! No need to thank me. I also want to see how far this boy can go."
Just then, Shiki seemed to notice something and sighed.
"Looks like this is as far as he gets. This boy still can't reach the level of that man Rocks."
As soon as Shiki finished speaking, the situation of the battle changed instantly.
The shockwave Sengoku released began to visibly suppress Yemu.
"This is the chance!"
Seizing the opportunity, Sengoku erupted with tremendous power and crushed straight toward Yemu. At the same time, his massive golden body turned into a golden flash, appearing in front of Yemu as he threw a punch.
Boom.
In an instant, space itself seemed to tear apart. Yemu's body, struck by the blow, seemed to be ripped into lines. Amid flying blood and the sound of shattering bones, he crashed hard onto the ice field below.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
All of Impel Down began to shake violently.
With Yemu's fallen body at the center, the surrounding ice field began collapsing nonstop, and a massive pit appeared.
Ten meters.
Twenty meters.
One hundred meters.
In the end, the entire ground of Level 5, Freezing Hell cracked like a spiderweb, shattered into pieces, and split apart. Ice flew everywhere, and buildings collapsed.
Only after a full minute did everything finally calm down.
"Is it over?"
Looking into the pitch-black hole, where Yemu's figure had not reappeared, Borsalino asked hesitantly.
At that moment, Sengoku, who had already returned from his Buddha form to his normal human appearance, said to him, "Don't worry. Under that strike, every bone in his body was shattered. He won't be getting back up. It's over. Now only you're left, Shiki. Go back to your cell obediently."
But Shiki ignored him. Instead, he stared thoughtfully into the deep pit where Yemu had fallen.
"Was that all? Power like that can't change the world."
As he spoke, his body slowly floated up. Looking at Sengoku, he said, "What a pity, Sengoku. Looks like this world still has to be ruled by me."
"Looks like you won't come quietly, Shiki. Then there's no other way."
As soon as the words fell, Sengoku activated his Devil Fruit ability once again, and the giant golden Buddha appeared once more.
Only this time, it was five against one.
Borsalino even flew into the sky, blocking Shiki's escape route.
But just then, a long exhale rang in everyone's ears.
Along with it, flames surged from the pitch-black hole like they were erupting from the earth, spreading rapidly in every direction.
In only a few breaths, the silver-white world of ice and snow was engulfed in crimson flames. As far as the eye could see, everything was burning.
It was as if the entire world had changed from Freezing Hell into Blazing Hell.
Seeing this, Sengoku was instantly stunned. Borsalino roared in disbelief.
"Hey, hey, you've got to be kidding. Is this a Logia awakening…?"